(1) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to wood structures for musical instruments with improved sound, and processes for tailoring critical properties of wood for use in musical instruments, and more particularly, to processes for selective adjustments to along-grain and cross-grain stiffness, mass, and damping in wood for use in stringed instruments.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Spruce is the first choice for tone wood for musical instruments in the string family because of its mechanical and acoustical properties. The ratio of stiffness in the direction of the grain to the stiffness across the grain is one of the characteristics that make spruce desirable. Spruce exists naturally with a wide variation in the values of such properties as density, modulus of elasticity, damping, sound propagation velocity, grain spacing and grain distribution. Experienced luthiers know how to choose spruce to obtain the specific sound they aim for. This choice is made from, and is limited by, wood as it occurs in the natural state.